PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
You are managing a hybrid software development project. During the daily stand-up, two senior developers get into a heated argument about the best technical approach for a critical feature. The argument is delaying the meeting and causing tension. As the project manager, what should you do first?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse the project manager's role in conflict resolution with making technical decisions or deferring all conflicts to higher authority, failing to recognize that the PM should facilitate a structured resolution process while keeping the team accountable for technical choices.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Intervene, acknowledge both perspectives, and schedule a separate meeting to resolve the conflict
As the project manager in a hybrid project, you must facilitate conflict resolution without imposing a technical decision that exceeds your role. By acknowledging both perspectives and scheduling a separate meeting, you keep the daily stand-up focused on coordination while ensuring the technical debate is resolved by the appropriate experts, preserving team autonomy and project momentum.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for a decision
Why it's wrong here
Escalating a technical disagreement between team members to the project sponsor is premature and typically unnecessary. The Project Manager is expected to possess the skills and authority to facilitate conflict resolution at the team level, ensuring issues are addressed efficiently without overburdening higher management. Such an immediate escalation would bypass the PM's responsibility and potentially undermine team autonomy.
- ✗
Let the team resolve the conflict on their own without intervention
Why it's wrong here
Allowing a significant technical conflict to fester without intervention risks prolonged disagreement, decreased team morale, and potential delays in project progress. While fostering self-organizing teams is valuable, a Project Manager has a crucial role in facilitating resolution when conflicts impede productivity or team cohesion. Unresolved issues can escalate, negatively impacting project outcomes and team dynamics.
- ✗
Decide on the technical approach yourself to move forward quickly
Why it's wrong here
Imposing a technical solution yourself, especially in a hybrid or agile environment, disempowers the development team and can lead to suboptimal outcomes. The Project Manager's role is to facilitate decision-making, leverage the team's collective expertise, and remove impediments, not to dictate specific technical approaches. This approach undermines team ownership and can foster resentment, hindering future collaboration.
- ✓
Intervene, acknowledge both perspectives, and schedule a separate meeting to resolve the conflict
Why this is correct
Proactively intervening, acknowledging both perspectives, and scheduling a dedicated meeting demonstrates effective conflict management, a core competency for Project Managers. This approach ensures the conflict is addressed promptly and constructively, creating a neutral environment for resolution without disrupting ongoing work. It aligns with PMI principles of fostering team collaboration, trust, and maintaining project momentum through facilitated problem-solving.
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Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to the PMP Exam and Project Management Basics
Key term
Project Team Management
Project Team Management is the process of leading, coordinating, and supporting a group of people to complete project tasks and achieve project objectives.
Key term
Conflict Resolution
Conflict resolution is the process of addressing and resolving disagreements between team members or stakeholders to maintain a productive and collaborative project environment.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PMP practice question is part of Courseiva's free PMI certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the PMP exam.